"Balance in all things." Jutsu/ Demon speech.
'Balance in all things.' Thought
"Balance in all things." Regular Speaking
"Balance in all things." Flashback Jutsu/ Flashback Demon speech.
XxxX
Naruto leaned back in the stone throne like chair that rest atop the ruin that had once been the Uzukage Tower, absently fiddling with a dull amber colored stone that glowed a soft light with his fingers as he rest his chin in his left hand, propped up on the armrest. The distance was significant but he could still clearly see the tiny form of a still recovering Rin as she walked the dilapidated streets of Uzu.
While heavy, the clouds that loomed over the fallen village held back the rain that had been pouring down since he had brought the young Kunoichi to the village.
It had been a couple of weeks since he had introduced himself to her and explained to her his identity as a survivor of the Uzumaki massacre. She had been horrified to hear him talk of the final days of the village and had been astounded to learn of his connection to the unknown Shinobi listed in the Bingo Book 'The Red Death.'
Naruto had been surprised to find himself in a state of shock, horror and even rage when Rin revealed something to him that he had been unaware of in regards to Uzu's fall. When he had explained to her that they had held of the forces of Iwa, Kiri and Kumo for months while waiting for Konoha's support, she had at first been reluctant to believe it; explaining that according to what she learned at the Konoha Academy; Uzushiogakure fell after a bare few weeks.
Naruto had nearly lost himself at hearing that. It seemed, when his own suspicions placed in line with what was being taught at Konoha, that the village of the Senju Clan had indeed gotten their message for help. And done nothing.
They had sacrificed the Uzumaki Clan, their allies, all for a reason to wage war.
Rin had refused to see him for nearly three days after that, almost inconsolable to learn that her village, her home, had allowed an entire village of innocent people to be butchered to justify the Second Shinobi War.
Following that, difficult truth, Rin had been more accepting of Naruto's presence. She had listened to him as he told her stories of his travels and adventures. Been in awe as he described the battle between the Sannin of Konoha and the dreaded Hanzo the Salamander of Ame, stared at him in wonder as he described travelling beyond the borders of the Elemental Nations to lands untouched by Chakra and war.
At times he just sat and listened to her. Listened as Rin shared stories from when she had been with her team back in Konoha and the trouble her team-mates Kakashi and a boy by the name of Obito got up to.
It was a few days ago that Rin was recovered enough to be able to leave her bed and, after showing her out and revealing to her where exactly she had been staying since waking into his care, she had been exploring with a mix sense of awe and horror.
The poor girl had been astounded to learn that she was in the ruin of Uzu. She had pestered him for nearly an hour for answers of how he had brought her here through the perpetual storm that had been surrounding the island chain for several years. He had just smiled with a shrug before replying with a 'just lucky I guess.' she hadn't really accepted it, but understood he had a reason for deflecting.
Naruto had distanced himself after that, choosing to watch from a far as she moved about the shattered village. Watch as she visited the once iconic landmarks of the village; the Uzukage Tower, Shinobi Academy, Lighthouse of Uzu and even what had once been Ichiraku's. Then she had gone to the mass grave.
It had been quite difficult for the Uzumaki, to watch and do nothing as the poor girl collapsed at the sight of grave markers beyond number and to see the names and ages marked upon their surface. She had lingered there for several hours before Naruto finally left her to her peace and returned to his own private quarters.
The next day he had shed a tear when he saw her having gathered flowers that had grown throughout different parts of the village and was in the process of laying them by each and every headstone.
That had been almost a week ago. And apart from a regular check to ensure her growing health and the continued stability of her seal, he more or less allowed her her privacy.
From where he could see her now, it seemed that Rin had chosen today to try and find the old history records that Uzu had once kept on the Warring Clan Era, most likely curious to see how they matched up to what Konoha claimed. She would be safe, the village had been under his watch for some time now and nothing that moved or breathed was beyond his notice.
His attention was then free to focus on the shift of movement that had coalesced into being out of the corner of his eye.
His eyes flicked over to peer at the new arrival before turning back to look down to where Rin had vanished into the old Records Hall.
"Report."
"Ame is ours. I have destroyed Hanzo and soon all remnants of his forces will be either taken care of, or brought on side."
Naruto nodded as the shadowed silhouette stepped out of the shadows of a half collapsed wall to walk around the seated Uzumaki, multi-ringed purple eyes glowing a soft light. The apparition was silent, choosing to watch him a moment before clearing his throat.
"Konan has expressed concern regarding our supplies since your last visit." The figure continued. "Ever since...ever since she was kidnapped and, Yahiko died, we have been bleeding manpower and resources."
Naruto breathed out a long, drawn out breath before finally turning his head to look at the shadow. Seeing the spiked out hair that most definitely was not natural to his cousin. "I see you have begun work on your paths. How is your real body Nagato?"
"Konan is assisting me in physical therapy, but it is doubtful I will ever return to full mobility." Came the reply.
"I see." Naruto paused a moment before lowering the stone in his right hand and slipping it into his pocket unnoticed. "I am sorry for your loss Nagato. I hope you know that had I caught wind of Hanzo's plan I would have been there to help you. You should have never been forced into that position as you were."
Nagato's form stiffened noticeably before shoulders slumped and he nodded. "I do. We were all caught by surprise. That the Salamander had reached out to the War Hawk of Konoha for an alliance was unexpected. No-one could have anticipated the move."
"I assume you heard of Kiri's recent attempt against Konoha?"
Nagato nodded silently, such intel had indeed come to his knowledge, the relocation of an asset on the scale of a Biju was not something easily concealed. It angered him on some level to learn that a Jinchuriki could and had been weaponized to such a level.
"I rescued the Jinchuriki involved." Naruto disclosed. "The seal was shoddy work and no doubt would have failed long before she could have even gotten close to Konoha, but I have been able to stabilise it. She is recovering nicely from her injuries."
"The information I received was that the girl was killed by her own people."
"No, she explained to me that she was unable to take her own life for some reason and so was forced to throw herself into the line of fire." Naruto refuted with a shake of his head, eyes narrowing dangerously. "When I was told this I looked into the matter and discovered the shredded remnants of a cursed seal on her heart. There wasn't enough to deduce its purpose, but given her experiences I can assume it was designed to prevent her from committing suicide."
"A contingency by Kiri to ensure she made it back to Konoha even if the Biju was discovered?" Nagato theorised.
Naruto clicked his tongue before shrugging absently. "Perhaps."
"And what is it you intend to do with this girl? Such a tool would make a powerful weapon for your plans."
Naruto clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes threateningly at his kinsman, a roll of thunder tearing across the sky as his chakra pulsed, momentarily disrupting the shadowed form of Nagato. "I am not so weak as to lower myself to such cruelty Nagato. Nor will I allow you to consider her as such."
Rinnegan eyes blinked slowly before the image nodded. "Good. Forgive me, but I am still unused to the seeing compassion. Ame has not been kind if you recall."
The tense atmosphere lightened and the survivor of Uzu nodded in understanding. "I remember."
XxxX
(Flashback no jutsu!)
It was a clear indicator for Naruto when he crossed the border into the Land of Storms from River. The heavy cloud cover that gave the land its name being a clear indicator for the Uzumaki. He could understand why the resident Hidden Village of this land was named as Amegakure, he could already see the wall of rain in the distance where the cloud cover had opened up.
The Second Shinobi War had ended almost four years ago now and from what he had heard while in the Land of Rivers, despite reports of continued fighting, the combatants of the war had long since pulled out of the region.
Truly the Land of Storms was as hostile as he had heard, even when not within the grips of war.
For the Uzumaki he had grown up hearing stories about how conflict and strife was a near constant presence surrounding the region of Amegakure, warlords and tyrants always popping up vying for power and position.
It had always been his intention to come to this place, ever since he had found his Destiny in the Land of Ancestors and started on that path in the Land of Bears.
This land was in need of renewal. The war was over, he would stop the fighting.
XxxX
It took a few days to reach the borders of Ame itself. The rain had hit him the previous day, washing over his body comfortingly soaking through his white outfit. Since leaving Uzu he had abandoned his jounin uniform and Uzu headband, Instead taking to wearing white jacket with black lining and that came down to his knees with an upturned collar and Hakama pants and black sash with black tabi (socks) and white zori (sandals),
He had run into bandits still picking at villages and traders in the wake of the war and more than a few rogue shinobi that had taken to occupying the Land of Storms. They died before they could even notice his presence. They stood within his domain, he saw them with every drop and ended them just as swiftly.
They were bottom feeders. Trash that had been too weak to amount to anything when they were loyal to a village and had taken to bringing death and suffering to those beneath them. They were just more proof as to the necessity of the path he had set him self upon, just as the people of Storm were the better for their death, so too would everywhere else be as grateful.
When he too could take his rest.
Naruto's eyes narrowed suddenly when he felt it far off to the right. A presence within the rain. Three individuals had emerged, notable chakra levels, elevated and active. They were moving at speed.
Wait. A fourth.
Naruto turned to face the direction of the disturbance. This one he knew.
He had felt it, seen it almost a decade previous when he had last passed through these lands during the days of the Second Shinobi War. He had been one of the strongest ninja he had ever seen, not since he had glimpsed the opening salvo of the battle at Uzu between the Uzukage and the Mizukage, Tsukikage and Raikage during the siege.
It had been the day he had first caught glimpse of the true form his future was to take, seen the crystallised miracle around her neck.
It would seem that while the vaunted 'Sannin' had returned to their slice of heaven, Hanzo the Salamander still ruled here in hell.
Naruto took of in a blur of white and red, leaving barely a ripple of water behind to tell tale of his presence as he he made for Hanzo's location.
Hanzo was a blight upon Amegakure as well as the Land of Storms. With him in power over Ame, the whole nation as a whole suffered. He was the head of the snake to this particular cancer.
But most of all, according to his own understanding, since the conclusion of the Second Shinobi War, Hanzo never went out into the open alone. And from what he could sense regarding the three lesser Chakra's Hanzo was in pursuit of, they were most certainly NOT his allies.
It took but a moment, to close the gap between himself and the hunting Salamander. The trio he was chasing were loosing steam and true to expectation of the sadistic Ame-nin, he was slowing down accordingly to further enjoy the chase.
When Naruto saw the three the man was pursuing, his blood boiled.
Children. The bastard was hunting children!
Barely older than so many of the children he had seen cut down like animals the day Uzu felt, innocent and defenceless. And this bastard was hunting them!?
The pursuing Salamander faltered in his chase and the three mice he had found screamed out in fear when the sky split open and a pillar of light and sound screamed to the earth. It shattered the earth several feet in front of him before his prey and sent chunks of rock and earth flying.
It was as the debris fell to back to earth that he took notice of the rain itself. What had previously been a steady deluge, nothing out of the ordinary for Ame itself, was now a veritable storm of heavy, pelting rain that filled his ears with its howl.
Flashes of white blanketed the sky as the roar of thunder drowned out the fear laden cries of the children that had harried his steps for the past few months.
Another explosion of lightning burst forth close to him, singing the hairs on his head and blinding him from its light, causing Hanzo to flinch back a step.
It was when his sight cleared that he noticed it. Noticed him.
Clad in white, red hair the color of blood. Purple eyes that held nothing but the promise of death within them, despite himself, despite his confidence in his own power and assurance in his victory, he took another step back.
And the rain stopped.
Everything. Stopped.
It was like someone had taken a freeze frame picture of the landscape, and super imposed it over reality. Every drop of water that had been released from the heavens hung in the air, suspended seemingly in time and space itself.
"Who are you?" Hanzo rasped, his voice rough through the re-breather strapped to his face. "What manner of Jutsu is this?"
The red head uttered only one word. "Naruto."
Hanzo narrowed his eyes, glancing at the surrounding droplets of water warily. The kind of control and chakra required for such a feat was impossible, beyond insane. There was not a ninja alive capable of such a feat. Not since…
"Uzumaki."
Naruto nodded once in response, half turning his head to glance back to the three children huddled together several feet behind him. Orange haired boy, blue haired girl, red haired boy.
Naruto's eyes widened a fraction. Red hair. With the exception of himself he had not seen that shade of red hair since the siege. He had tried to find kin after leaving, but apart from Konoha, where he knew at least one safely resided, he had failed.
Could it be he had finally found another surviving Uzumaki?
Not now. Such thoughts were for later, more pressing matters required his attention.
"You are Hanzo the Salamander, defacto ruler of Amegakure no Sato." Naruto declared, pulling hands out of his pockets as he tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck loudly.
"What of it kid?" Hanzo growled, reaching to draw out his Kusarigama slowly. "Do yourself a favor, walk away."
In response Naruto simply held up a single hand, forming a handseal. "Suiton: Ekitai Hari (Water Style: Liquid Needle)."
Hanzo barely managed to avoid it as the floating drops of water suddenly shot towards him, lengthening and sharpening into thin senbon like spikes. He vanished in a Shunshin (body flicker) to reappear several feet to the side and twitched as he reached up to swipe a finger across his brow, pulling it back to see a smear of blood marking his finger tips.
The strange Uzumaki smiled slightly as he lowered his arm back to his side and the remaining rain drops that floated around them fell to the ground, leaving the air clear and rain free.
It was the first time for countless years that Hanzo had seen his homeland free of the ever present rainfall.
The Salamander tightened his grip on his chain scythe and momentarily lowered his center of gravity before he shot forward.
Naruto easily ducked under the leading attack, avoiding the swipe of the Salamander's blade before reaching out with a hand to catch the heavy iron weight attached to the other end of the Kusarigama's chain that Hanzo had snapped at him in its shadow.
He pulled on the weight, drawing a length of the chain toward him before grabbing it and hurling the weight at the older ninja's face. Hanzo tilted his head to the side allowing the weight to fly passed harmlessly and Naruto smirked as he flicked his wrist and pulled.
Hazno's eyes widened as the weight altered its trajectory and looped back around to wrap around his neck. Naruto pulled on the chain, tightening its hold on Hanzo. The moment it fully tightened on the man's neck however, it went slack as the shinobi himself vanished in a poof of smoke a charred shard of stone left in his wake.
Dropping the abandoned weapon, Naruto flipped up, narrowly avoiding the searching hands that suddenly thrust up from the ground beneath him. In a single fluid movement, Naruto kicked the still airborne shard of stone down toward the submerged Hanzo just as he hurled the blade of the Kusarigama to the side, pulling on the chain as it embedded itself into the ground to pull himself away.
By the time Naruto was back on the ground, Hanzo himself had pulled himself out of the earth and had finished a chain of handseals, chakra flaring.
"Suiton: Mizu Shuriken (Water Style: Water Shuriken)."
A number of water shuriken were formed from the surrounding water and shot toward Naruto at incredible speed, forcing Naruto to drop the chain still in his grasp and leap to the side, reaching into his side pouch and pulling and throwing a handful of reddish-brown wooden Shuriken.
When the strangely crafted Shuriken tore right through the water imitations, Hanzo's eyes widened and he slammed his hands against the ground. "Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Style: Water Wall)."
A large wall of water shot up in front of the man, shielding him from the oncoming Shuriken.
And when they passed right through the defensive jutsu to impale in his arms and chest, his eyes widened in disbelief, coughing up a splatter of blood through his re-breather.
"H-how? that's not possible!"
"Those Shuriken are made from Mahogany." A cold voice replied from behind him.
Hanzo turned quickly, jumping back despite the injury to gain some distance, cursing himself for his mistake. The moment he had placed the defensive wall he had lost his sight of the Uzumaki for a moment, more than long enough for him to relocate himself to his rear.
"What?"
Naruto allowed a slight smirk to pass over him as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a similarly made Kunai, spinning it around on his finger before grabbing it in a reverse grip. "And not just any Mahogany. But Mahogany from the Islands of Uzushoigakure. Where the trees grow two hundred feet tall and breath fire."
Hanzo remained silent, carefully removing the shuriken and dropping them as he watched the Uzumaki approaching carefully. He had underestimated the boy.
"Such Shuriken were designed and made specifically to cut through most defensive jutsu of that calibre." Naruto explained.
When the last Shuriken was removed Hanzo glared at the offending weapons in thought. At this rate, there was a chance he would need to summon Ibuse, even though things had truly yet to escalate to their full potential, he could see in the young Uzumaki that was both prepared and capable of matching him.
A shift of movement out of the corner of his eye was what gave him his idea. A hidden grin passed over the Salamander's face as he saw the huddled forms of the three children he had been hunting. The red hair of the eldest boy. Given the identity of the man that had come for him he was most likely an Uzumaki.
He could use this.
"Uzumaki Naruto. I remember you now." Hanzo began, straightening to look at his white clad opponent. "Stories following the fall of your clan of a survivor they called the Red Death."
Naruto inclined his head in the affirmative.
"I get it now. you're after the kid, your kinsman." Hanzo indicated to the wide eyed red haired boy with a tilt of his head. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting an Uzumaki orphan to be crawling around in my territory."
"Your point?"
The Salamander grinned savagely. "I'll do you a favor. Not many have the spirit to face me, fewer less have lasted as long as you. I'll let you take those brats and leave in one piece."
"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, seeming amused by such a proposition. "You speak as if I am the one on the defensive Salamander. I am not some Konoha ninja, nor am I on my knees before you. Why should I let you live?"
At this the man raised a hand to point out to the side, directly at the three huddled children. "Because the first thing I'll do is kill that little Uzumaki."
Naruto stopped. His eyes unwillingly turning to look to the children that he had inadvertently taken into his protection. Even if Hanzo was unaware of the Uzumaki clan doctrine towards family, dammit all if he wasn't hitting a bullseye with his threat.
Even with being aware of his future strategy to take out his young cousin, there was guaranteed to be an opportunity that would allow the bastard to slip through and make true on his threat.
"And if I would rather see you dead at my feet?" Naruto asked, knowing it was futile as there was no way Hanzo had not seen him hesitate.
"The brat will still be a corpse."
Naruto was silent for a brief moment before his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched tightly.
The next instant the sky had reopened and the rain of Ame fell back down to the earth.
Hanzo let out an amused laugh when he lost sight of the glowering Uzumaki in a burst of smoke before he turned to see that the three little brats were gone as well. He had to admit, that had been fun.
He collected his discarded Kusarigama and coiled it back up before strapping it back to his waist before turning curiously back to where he had dropped those strange Shuriken used against him, maybe he should see about finding more of them.
When he saw that they too were gone, he let out another laugh. Oh yes, he was looking forward to seeing that Uzumaki Naruto again.
(Flashback no jutsu: Kai!)
XxxX
"I must confess, I was not expecting to find an Uzumaki when I journeyed to Ame." Naruto admitted as he brought himself out of his reminiscing to look back to the shadowed form of his cousin. "But, hardship and loss aside, I am pleased with the result."
Nagato nodded. "I agree. Yahiko would not shut up about what you did to make the rain stop in Ame of all places. Even at the end he teased me about how I still couldn't replicate the jutsu to the same scale."
Naruto grinned at this. "Rinnegan aside, I am still impressed you picked it up as quickly as you did."
"Some might consider you foolish to surrender knowledge of such an effective sensory jutsu. Even if it was to family." Nagato pointed out.
Naruto simply shrugged as if the risk didn't matter to him. "You are Uzumaki. It was enough for me to give you that knowledge, just as it was enough, and still is enough for me to entrust you with bringing peace to the Land of Storms."
Nagato nodded in understanding. "You provided our Akatsuki with the provisions and support needed to do more than just hold our own against Hanzo and his faction. You gave use the belief and will that we could succeed."
"And you have repaid that trust back several times over Nagato. As did Yahiko." Naruto responded with a respectful nod to the orange haired man's memory. "Now I am sure that you did not come here to walk down memory lane with me did you? The last time Konan caught you slacking off I believe she fed your Ramen to Yahiko."
The shadowed man flinched in the memory of such, evil. It had been shortly after he had finally mastered the Ukojizai no jutsu (Rainmaker jutsu) he had decided to take the following day off to recover his chakra and enjoy his success. Konan had found him laying about and had not been impressed.
"Something has come up in Ame." Nagato replied, gracefully moving away from the reminder. "Konan and I were approached by a masked man a few days back. He had a proposal for us."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, saying nothing as he listened to his cousins report.
"Apparently he had heard of our victory over Hanzo and come to recruit us, to recruit the Akatsuki. He spoke of peace, of bringing an end to the Hidden villages using my homeland as a platform to wage war upon."
"Did he tell you anything else?" Naruto had returned to his throne and sat down, disturbed by the information. Very rarely did advocates of peace come from benign backgrounds.
"He claimed that by assembling the nine Biju we could put an end to war, that we could unite the world in pain."
Naruto straightened in his chair, blank faced for a moment before he slowly turned his head to stare into the Rinnegan of the projected Nagato. "Did he give a name?"
"Uchiha Madara."
Naruto frowned. Such a name had not been heard of for quite some time. Not appearing since records that detailed his rivalry with Senju Hashirama that had finally seen its conclusion at the now named Valley of the End. The man was believed to have died there. An imposter perhaps? No. His goal, while vague or more to the point incomplete, was far too in line with the recorded personality of the Uchiha Patriarch; power above all else.
"Naruto?"
The red head turned back to Nagato, his eyes refocusing quickly. "Return to Ame. This Madara is highly dangerous and is not likely to take refusal lightly. It would be best to leave Ame for a short while, leave a clone or intermediary to deliver the Uchiha your reply."
"You believe he would attack?" Nagato asked.
"I believe that it is best to assume the worst in this situation." Naruto replied calmly. "If this is truly the Madara of legend, then he will not suffer the disrespect no matter how imagined. And if it is not, then this imposter most likely has the strength to back up the claim."
Nagato nodded in understanding. Konan had warned as much when he had deliberated his own response before deciding himself to refuse. In another life he would have agreed that peace through pain would have been a logical and sure-fire method that would succeed. But having been taught by Jiraiya-sensei and learning of his cousin Naruto's ideals and drive, he knew better.
"Understood. We will be out of touch for some time, I will contact you once we have returned to Ame after this has all passed us by." Nagato responded, turning and walking away a few steps before stopping and looking back to the seated Uzumaki. "You never answered my question."
"Hm?"
The Rinnegan wielder gestured down to the city of Uzu. "The girl, the Jinchuriki. What is it you intend to do with her?"
Naruto was quiet for a moment before he leaned back in his throne, idly tapping a finger against the armrest. "When she is fully recovered and should she wish it, I will take her home. She has no part in this."
"And should she wish to stay?"
At this Naruto turned to look back to the fading silhouette with a fierce expression. "Then I will raise her up so high she will never fall again."
The vanishing shadow said nothing as it fully vanished, just nodding in reply before it was gone leaving the sole remaining Uzumaki of Uzu to his thoughts.
There was silence there, atop the ruin of the Uzukage tower save the distant rumblings the ever present storm that surrounded the island chain of Uzu and when Naruto turned his head to the side he leaned back comfortably.
"I know you're there. You can come out now."
"Rin."
XxxXxxXxxXxxX
A/N
Alright people, here is chapter two (technically three but meh). Things are coming along I hope that this gets the stamp of approval and hooks you in enough to continue reading.
I have noticed that while a lot of people are following and favoriting no one is reviewing this story. I don't mean to beg, but I kind of need the reviews to know whether or not this is actually working. Reviews kind of equal a good story after all.
Give me feedback, let me know that i'm doing good. Let me know that I'm doing crappy.
In the words of Trunks from TFS: NOTICE ME!
Will hopefully have more for you in the coming week, depending on how many reviews there are thus far. With so little it might get tossed onto the back burner.
Enjoy.